Smart Dimming &amp; Sensor Failure Detection as Part of Built in Daylight Harvesting Inside the Luminaire

ABSTRACT

A self-adjusting luminaire whose primary operation is to provide ambient or focused lighting in a hazardous environment is configured to modify (e.g., continuously) the energization intensity levels of its on-board illumination sources based on magnitudes of difference between an amount of light in the environment of the luminaire (e.g., including both light produced by the luminaire and ambient light) as measured by on-board sensors and a setpoint amount of light corresponding to the luminaire. Further, the self-adjusting luminaire may detect that its on-board sensors are malfunctioning when the illumination sensors fail to sense a change in the amount of light in the environment of the luminaire after the luminaire has modified the energization intensity levels of its illumination sources. Upon detecting a sensor malfunction, the self-adjusting luminaire may generate an alarm, and/or may automatically modify the intensity of its illumination sources to mitigate effects of the detected malfunction.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/786,213, which was filed on Feb. 10, 2020 and entitled “SMART DIMMING& SENSOR FAILURE DETECTION AS PART OF BUILT IN AMBIENT LIGHT HARVESTINGINSIDE THE LUMINAIRE,” which claims priority to Indian PatentApplication No. 201921037990, which was filed on Sep. 20, 2019 andentitled “SMART DIMMING & SENSOR FAILURE DETECTION AS PART OF BUILT INAMBIENT LIGHT HARVESTING INSIDE THE LUMINAIRE,” the entire contents ofeach of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates to self-adjusting luminaires, lighting units,and light fixtures that are disposed in hazardous environments, such asintrinsically safe and/or explosion proof luminaires, lighting units,and light fixtures that provide ambient, task, and/or focused lightwithin hazardous environments.

BACKGROUND

The background description provided within this document is for thepurpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work ofthe presently named inventors, to the extent described in thisbackground section, as well as aspects of the description that may nototherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neitherexpressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the presentdisclosure.

Intrinsically safe and/or explosion proof luminaires, lighting units,and light fixtures provide general, ambient light and/or task or focusedlight within hazardous environments such as industrial process plants,manufacturing facilities, oil refineries, power-generating systems,mines, and the like. As such, intrinsically safe and/or explosion proofluminaires, lighting units, and light fixtures must comply with allstandards and/or regulatory rules that are applicable to the particularhazardous environment in which they are disposed, e.g., to preventignition and/or explosion of hazardous atmospheric mixtures such asflammable gases and/or dust, to protect electronics within the luminairefrom being compromised or damaged, to contain any explosion that mayoccur, etc. Such luminaires may be rated by Class, Division, and Group.For example, a Class 1, Division 1, Group D, E, and F is a commonlyrequired rating for products that are located in hazardous environmentswithin the petrochemical industry, in which flammable vapors may bepresent. Generally speaking, intrinsically safe and/or explosion proofluminaires, lighting units, and light fixtures are designed to limitundesirable and/or dangerous effects of thermal and/or electrical energygenerated during both their normal use and maintenance, as well asduring fault conditions. For ease of reading, intrinsically safe and/orexplosion proof luminaires, lighting units, and/or light fixtures thatare located in hazardous environments are generically referred to hereinas “hazardous environment (HE) luminaires, lighting units, and/or lightfixtures”, and/or simply as “luminaires, lighting units, and/or lightfixtures.”

Currently, many luminaires, lighting units, and light fixtures providelight at a fixed, factory-configured level of intensity. However, whenthere is also ambient light in the environment of a luminaire (e.g.,sunlight entering through a window), maintaining a fixed,factory-configured level of intensity may waste energy and affect theuseful life of the illumination sources (e.g., LEDs) of the luminaire.

Some known luminaires, lighting units, and light fixtures are configuredto save energy using ambient light harvesting techniques. Generallyspeaking, ambient light harvesting techniques involve dimming orpowering off a luminaire when there is more ambient light generated byother sources in the environment of the luminaire, and powering on orincreasing the light produced by the luminaire when there is lessambient light generated by other sources in the environment of theluminaire. For instance, some known luminaires are configured to dim orbrighten based on the time of day, to account for expected daylight ateach time of day, etc. Additionally, some known luminaires arecontrolled based on external light sensors which detect ambient light,and such luminaires are powered on when the detected ambient light fallsbelow a certain threshold or powered off when the detected ambient lightrises above a different threshold. For instance, light sensors disposedin an environment of the luminaire may detect ambient light and transmitan indication of the detected ambient light to a controller, whichgenerates control signals for turning on and off the luminaire in anambient light harvesting mode based on the ambient light detected by thesensors. Furthermore, some known luminaires use the amount of ambientlight that is measured when the luminaire powers up for the first timeas a setpoint amount of ambient light.

Known luminaires, lighting units, and light fixtures that use ambientlight harvesting techniques, though, typically do not account for theways in which these ambient light harvesting techniques affect users oroperators working in the hazardous environment. For example, drastic orsudden changes in light may be startling, distracting, or annoying tousers or operators working in the hazardous environment. Distracting orstartling a user or operator is particularly dangerous in the context ofa hazardous environment because a distracted or startled user oroperator may miss warning signs of imminent dangerous events such asexplosions or toxic spills.

Moreover, some known luminaires that use ambient light harvestingtechniques rely on a same set of multiple light sensors positioned indifferent locations in the same environment to determine whether any ofthe light sensors are malfunctioning. For instance, known luminaires maydetermine that one of several light sensors in an environment ismalfunctioning if the light sensor measures a different amount ofambient light than the other light sensors in the environment. However,known luminaires, lighting units, and light fixtures that use ambientlight harvesting techniques typically are not capable of determining, bya given luminaire, that a light sensor associated with that luminaire ismalfunctioning without receiving information from or about other lightsensors in the environment. Consequently, known luminaires have no wayof detecting a light sensor error if a wired or wireless connectionbetween the luminaire and the other light sensors in the environment isnot operational or suffers from significant interference and/or degradedperformance. Light sensor errors in ambient light harvesting luminairesare particularly dangerous in hazardous environments because lightingmay affect the ability of users or operators within the hazardousenvironment to do their jobs. For instance, if a light sensorerroneously detects high levels of ambient light and accordingly causesthe illumination sources of the luminaire to energize at low intensitylevels, users or operators within the hazardous environment may beunable to fully see critical issues occurring in the hazardousenvironment, such as warning signs of imminent spills or explosions.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods, and techniques disclosed herein relate to aself-adjusting hazardous environment (HE) luminaire, lighting unit, orlight fixture disposed in a hazardous environment. During its normalrun-time operations, embodiments of the disclosed HE luminaire, lightingunit, or light fixture radiates general or ambient light and/or task orfocused light into the hazardous environment. In particular, thedisclosed self-adjusting HE luminaire, lighting unit, or light fixtureis configured to continuously modify the intensity at which itsillumination sources are energized based on a difference between ameasured amount of light in the environment of the luminaire (i.e.,which includes both ambient light and light produced by the luminaire)and a setpoint (e.g., target) amount of light for the hazardousenvironment.

Advantageously, the self-adjusting luminaire automatically makes largerchanges to the intensity at which the illumination sources of theself-adjusting luminaire are energized when there are larger differencesbetween the measured amount of light and the setpoint amount of light,and makes smaller changes to the intensity at which the illuminationsources of the self-adjusting luminaire are energized when there aresmaller differences between the measured amount of light and thesetpoint amount of light. In this way, the self-adjusting luminairemodifies the intensity of its illumination sources until the setpointamount of light is achieved, in a way that appears to be gradual to auser or operator in the hazardous environment, reducing the chances thata user or operator in the hazardous environment is startled ordistracted by the adjustment. Furthermore, in some examples, theself-adjusting luminaire modifies the intensity of its illuminationsources until the measured amount of light is within a certain smallrange of the setpoint amount of light (e.g., within 10% of the setpointamount of light). In this way, the self-adjusting luminaire avoidsannoying or distracting users with frequent modifying (which may be seenas flickering or flashing) as the measured amount of light in theenvironment of the luminaire approaches or exceeds the setpoint amountof light from above or below.

Additionally, the self-adjusting luminaire can determine whether itson-board light sensor (used interchangeably with “illumination sensor”herein) is malfunctioning based on the light sensor's own measurements.In particular, if a self-adjusting luminaire modifies the intensity ofone or more of its illumination sources, but the light sensor detects nochange (or a change below an alarm threshold value) in the amount oflight in the environment, the self-adjusting luminaire may determinethat the light sensor is malfunctioning. Accordingly, in some examples,the self-adjusting luminaire may generate an alarm indicating that thelight sensor is malfunctioning, e.g., and may transmit the alarm to alighting control system. Moreover, in some examples, the self-adjustingluminaire may additionally or alternatively modify the intensity of oneor more of its illumination sources to full power so that light sensorerrors do not affect users or operators in the hazardous environment.Advantageously, because the self-adjusting luminaire is able todetermine light sensor errors without external information, in someexamples, the self-adjusting luminaire may accommodate light sensorerrors even if a wired or wireless network in the hazardous environmentis not operational or suffers from interference or otherperformance-affecting conditions.

In an embodiment, a luminaire is provided. The luminaire comprises: oneor more processors; one or more illumination sources; one or moredrivers; one or more illumination sensors configured to measure amountsof light in an environment associated with the luminaire, the light inthe environment associated with the luminaire including both ambientlight and light provided by the one or more illumination sources; andone or more memories storing a set of computer-executable instructionsthat, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the luminaireto: cause the one or more drivers to energize the one or moreillumination sources to generate light at a first intensity level;determine a modification to the first intensity level based on amagnitude of a difference between a setpoint amount of light and a firstamount of light, the first amount of light measured by the one or moreillumination sensors while the one or more illumination sources areenergized to generate light at the first intensity level; and cause theone or more drivers to modify the first intensity level based on thedetermined modification.

In an embodiment, a method performed by a self-adjusting luminaire isprovided. The method comprises: continuously measuring, by one or moresensors included in the self-adjusting luminaire over an interval oftime, an amount of light within an environment associated with theself-adjusting luminaire, the light within the environment associatedwith the self-adjusting luminaire including both ambient light and lightprovided by one or more illumination sources of the luminaire; andmodifying, over the interval of time in accordance with the continuousmeasuring, an energization of the one or more illumination sources ofthe self-adjusting luminaire based on a magnitude of a differencebetween a measured amount of light in the environment and a setpointamount of light.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example self-adjusting hazardousenvironment lighting unit, light fixture, or luminaire.

FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating an example measurement of amount of lightover time for a hazardous environment and example times at which aself-adjusting luminaire's illumination intensity is increased anddecreased to maintain a setpoint deadband.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating example step modifications ofillumination intensity made by a self-adjusting luminaire based on adifference between a measured amount of light in a hazardous environmentand a setpoint amount of light for the hazardous environment.

FIG. 4 depicts an example hazardous environment in which theself-adjusting hazardous environment lighting unit, light fixture, orluminaire of FIG. 1 may be located or disposed.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an example method performed by aself-adjusting hazardous environment luminaire.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example self-adjusting hazardousenvironment lighting unit, light lighting unit, light fixture, orluminaire 100 that modifies the energization intensity levels of itson-board illumination sources based on the difference between the amountof light in the environment of the self-adjusting luminaire as measuredby on-board sensors and a setpoint amount of light associated with theluminaire, and detects malfunctions associated with the on-board sensorsThe terms “lighting unit”, “light fixture”, and “luminaire” are utilizedinterchangeably herein to refer to an electrically powered group ofcomponents that operates to supply general or ambient light and/or taskor focused light in the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that isvisible to the human eye, e.g., from about 380 to 740 nanometers. Theluminaire 100 is disposed within a hazardous environment, such as anindustrial process plant, a manufacturing facility, an oil refinery, apower-generating system, a mine, etc. As such, the luminaire 100 is ahazardous environment (HE) luminaire that is compliant with any (and insome cases, all) standards and/or regulations governing itsconfiguration, installation, and usage within the hazardous environment.That is, the luminaire 100 complies with standard and/or regulatedthermal and electrical limits so as to limit the energy generated by theluminaire 100 that is available for potential ignition and/or explosionwithin the hazardous environment. Further, the HE luminaire 100 includesat least one hazardous location enclosure or housing 102 in which itscomponents are typically disposed or enclosed. For example, thehazardous location enclosure or housing 102 may be explosion-proof,flame-proof, water-proof, sealed, hermetically sealed, dust ignitionprotected, etc. In some embodiments of the luminaire 100 (not shown inFIG. 1), a single luminaire 100 may include multiple hazardous locationenclosures or housings 102, each of which surrounds a different subsetof components of the luminaire 100; however, for ease of reading herein(and not for limitation purposes) the hazardous location enclosure orhousing 102 is referred to using the singular tense. Moreover, at leastone portion 105 of the hazardous location enclosure or housing 102 is atleast partly transparent or visible light-permeable, so thatillumination or light generated by one or more illumination sources IL-1to IL-n (corresponding to references 108 a-108 n in FIG. 1) of theluminaire 100 is able to radiate into the hazardous environment. Theillumination sources 108 a-108 n may be any suitable type ofillumination source that generates visible light, e.g., incandescent,halogen, fluorescent, metal halide, xenon, LEDs (light emitting diodes),etc.

In FIG. 1, the luminaire 100 includes one or more processors 110, one ormore drivers 112 (e.g., drivers for illuminations sources), one or moreillumination sources 108 a-108 n, and one or more illumination sensors130 that are enclosed in, surrounded by, and/or otherwise protected bythe hazardous location enclosure 102.

In some embodiments, the luminaire 100 is communicatively connected toone or more networks via one or more communication interfaces 128 a-128m. For example, the luminaire 100 may be communicatively connected to awireless network via a first communication interface (COM1) 128 a and/ormay be communicatively connected to a wired network via a secondcommunication interface (COMm) 128 m. As such, the luminaire 100 may bea node of a wireless network and/or may be a node of a wired network.Each of the wireless and/or wired networks may include one or more othernodes such as, for example, a back-end computer, controller, or serverthat is disposed in a non-hazardous environment or otherwise is shieldedfrom the harsh conditions of the hazardous environment. Other examplesof nodes which may be included in the wireless and/or wired network mayinclude, in some configurations, one or more other luminaires, sensors,and other devices disposed within the hazardous environment.

Generally speaking, the one or more processors 110 instruct the one ormore drivers 112 to energize or activate the one or more illuminationsources 108 a-108 n, e.g., individually or independently, and/or as aset or group in a coordinated manner. For example, the one or moreprocessors 110 may instruct the one or more drivers 112 to energize oractivate the one or more illumination sources 108 a-108 n based on or inaccordance with instructions and/or information provided by an ambientlight harvesting unit 115 of the luminaire 100. As the illuminationsources 108 a-108 n of the luminaire 100 radiate visible light throughthe at least partially transparent portion 105 of the hazardous locationenclosure 102, the illumination sensors 130 measure the amount of light(e.g., in lumens, lux, etc.) in the environment of the luminaire 100.For instance, the illumination sensors 130 may be positioned near theillumination sources 108 a-108 n and may face toward the environment, inorder to measure the combined light from the illumination sources 108a-108 n and from external sources of ambient light (such as, e.g.,sunlight, lightning, or other sources of light in the environment) thatis reflected back to the luminaire 100.

The ambient light harvesting unit 115 may include a set ofcomputer-executable instructions that are executable by the one or moreprocessors 110 and that are stored on the one or more memories 118 ofthe luminaire 100, where the one or more memories 118 are, for example,one or more tangible, non-transitory memories, components, or datastorage devices. The one or more memories 118 may also storeinstructions for executing a sensor malfunction unit 120 configured todetect malfunctions of an illumination sensor 130 and generate alarmsand/or modify the operation of the luminaire 100 based on detectedmalfunctions. In some arrangements, the one or more memories 118 mayalso store other data 122 (which may include, e.g., setpoint values,deadband ranges for setpoint values, setpoint deadband threshold values,sensitivity settings, alarm threshold values, etc.) that is accessibleto the one or more processors 110. Additionally, the one or morememories 118 may store other computer-executable instructions 125 thatare executable by the one or more processors 110 to cause luminaire 100perform other operations in addition to ambient light harvestingcontrol. For example, the other computer-executable instructions 125 maybe executable by the one or more processors 110 to cause the luminaire100 to perform its run-time lighting operations, to communicate withother luminaires and/or with a back-end server (e.g., wirelessly) tocoordinate lighting functions across a group of luminaires, to executediagnostic and/or maintenance operations, etc.

Generally speaking, the ambient light harvesting unit 115 may cause theone or more drivers 112 of the luminaire 100 to energize or activate theone or more illumination sources 108 a-108 n based on the amount oflight measured in the environment of the luminaire 100 by the one ormore illumination sensors 130, such that the intensity at which the oneor more illumination sources 108 a-108 n are energized decreases as theamount of light measured in the environment of the luminaire 100increases, and vice versa. In particular, the ambient light harvestingunit 115 may cause the one or more drivers 112 of the luminaire 100 tomodify the intensity at which the one or more illumination sources 108a-108 n are energized based on the difference between the amount oflight in the environment of the luminaire 100 (e.g., including lightproduced by the illumination sources 108 a-108 n as well as light fromexternal sources, such as sunlight, other luminaires, flame sourceswithin the hazardous environment, etc.) as measured by the one or moreillumination sensors 130 over a certain period of time and a setpointamount of light associated with the luminaire 100. In some examples, thesetpoint value may be pre-configured or pre-defined. Moreover, in someexamples, the setpoint value may be modified by a user or an operator

In some examples, the ambient light harvesting unit 115 may beconfigurable by a user to operate in a high sensitivity, mediumsensitivity, or low sensitivity setting. Generally speaking, when theambient light harvesting unit 115 is operating in the low sensitivitysetting, the interval of time (e.g., duration of time, period of time,etc.) over which the illumination sensors 130 measure the amount oflight in the environment of the luminaire 100 before the intensity ofthe illumination sources 108 a-108 n is adjusted is longer, and when theambient light harvesting unit 115 is operating in the high sensitivitysetting, the interval of time over which the illumination sensors 130measure the amount of light in the environment of the luminaire 100before the intensity of the illumination sources 108 a-108 n is adjustedis shorter. In other words, while the ambient light harvesting unit 115is operating in the low sensitivity setting, the interval of time (overwhich the amount of light in the environment of the luminaire 100 ismeasured prior to adjusting the intensity of the illumination sources108 a-108 n) has a greater, longer, or larger duration than the durationof the interval of time (over which the amount of light in theenvironment of the luminaire 100 is measured prior to adjusting theintensity of the illumination sources 108 a-108 n) while the ambientlight harvesting unit 115 is operating in the high sensitivity setting.For instance, the amount of light in the environment of the luminaire100 may be averaged over the interval of time based on the currentsensitivity setting, which may have been selected by the user.Consequently, when the ambient light harvesting unit 115 is operating inthe high sensitivity setting, the luminaire 100 may react to changes inthe amount of light in the environment of the luminaire 100 detected bythe illumination sensors 130 more quickly. In other words, the amount oftime required to elapse for the luminaire 100 to react to changes in theamount of light in the environment while set at the high sensitivitysetting is shorter than the amount of time required to elapse for theluminaire 100 to react to changes of light in the environment while setat the low sensitivity setting. For example, a high sensitivity settingmay be useful in environments in which the amount of light in theenvironment of the luminaire 100 typically changes frequently anddrastically. In contrast, when the ambient light harvesting unit 115 isoperating in the low sensitivity setting, the luminaire 100 may react tochanges in the amount of light in the environment of the luminaire 100detected by the illumination sensors 130 more slowly (e.g., moregradually). In other words, the amount of time that elapses prior to theluminaire 100 reacting to changes in the amount of light in theenvironment while operating in the low sensitivity setting is longerthan the amount of time that elapses prior to the luminaire 100 reactingto changes of light in the environment while operating in the highsensitivity setting. For example, a low sensitivity setting may beuseful in environments in which the amount of light in the environmentof the luminaire 100 typically does not change frequently ordrastically. Accordingly, when the ambient light harvesting unit 115 isoperating in a low sensitivity setting, the luminaire 100 will notmodify the intensity at which its illumination sources 108 a-108 n areenergized based on a momentary change in the amount of light in theenvironment of the luminaire 100, e.g., a change in ambient light causedby a flash of lightning, or by a user or equipment in the hazardousenvironment flashing light towards the sensor.

In some examples, the ambient light harvesting unit 115 may cause theone or more drivers 112 of the luminaire 100 to cease modifying (or toadjust the modification of) the intensity at which the one or moreillumination sources 108 a-108 n are energized when the differencebetween the amount of light in the environment of the luminaire 100measured by the one or more illumination sensors 130 over the intervalof time and the setpoint amount of light associated with the luminaire100 is below a deadband setpoint threshold value. The deadband setpointthreshold value may be based on the setpoint value (e.g., 20% of thesetpoint, 10% of the setpoint, 5% of the setpoint, 1% of the setpoint,etc.). Furthermore, in some examples, the deadband threshold value maybe pre-configured or pre-defined. Moreover, in some examples, thedeadband threshold value may be modified by a user or an operator.

In other words, when the illumination sensors 130 measure an amount oflight that is within a deadband range of the setpoint amount of light,the ambient light harvesting unit 115 may cause the one or more drivers112 of the luminaire 100 to maintain the current intensity at which theyare energizing the one or more illumination sources 108 a-108 n.

For example, FIG. 2 illustrates a graph 200 illustrating an examplemeasurement of the amount of light in the environment of the luminaire100 over time and example times at which illumination intensity isincreased and decreased to maintain a 10% setpoint deadband. In theexample shown in FIG. 2, the setpoint (202) amount of light associatedwith the luminaire 100 is 1500 lumens, and the deadband (204) is a rangespanning ±10% of the setpoint 202. As shown in FIG. 2, the illuminationintensity is increased until the difference between the amount of lightin the environment of the luminaire 100 and the setpoint amount of lightassociated with the luminaire 100 is less than 10% of the setpoint(i.e., less than 150 lumens below the setpoint, at point 206 as shown inFIG. 2). After this point, the illumination intensity is maintaineduntil the difference between the amount of light in the environment ofthe luminaire 100 and the setpoint amount of light associated with theluminaire 100 is greater or more than 10% of the setpoint (i.e., greateror more than 150 lumens above the setpoint, at point 208 as shown inFIG. 2), at which point the illumination intensity is decreased untilthe difference between the amount of light in the environment of theluminaire 100 and the setpoint amount of light associated with theluminaire 100 is less than 10% of the setpoint (i.e., less than 150lumens above the setpoint, at point 210 as shown in FIG. 2). After thispoint, the illumination intensity is maintained until the differencebetween the amount of light in the environment of the luminaire 100 andthe setpoint amount of light in the environment of the luminaire 100 isgreater or more than 10% of the setpoint (i.e., greater or more than 150lumens below the setpoint, at point 212 as shown in FIG. 2), at whichpoint the illumination intensity is increased until the differencebetween the amount of light in the environment of the luminaire 100 andthe setpoint amount of light associated with the luminaire 100 is lessthan 10% of the setpoint (i.e., less than 150 lumens below the setpoint,at point 214 as shown in FIG. 2), and so on.

Advantageously, by maintaining the intensity of the illumination sources108 a-108 n while and when the difference between the measured amount oflight in the environment of the luminaire 100 and the setpoint amount oflight associated with the luminaire 100 is below a deadband setpointthreshold value, or otherwise is significantly smaller or less than thesetpoint value, fewer modifications and adjustments to the intensity areneeded. Accordingly, users or operators in the hazardous environmentwill not be irritated or distracted by frequent small, inconsequentialintensity adjustments (which may appear to the user or operator asflickering or flashing) when the measured amount of light in theenvironment of the luminaire 100 is already within a reasonabletolerance range of the setpoint amount of light associated with theluminaire 100.

Furthermore, referring back to FIG. 1, in some examples, the ambientlight harvesting unit 115 may cause the one or more drivers 112 of theluminaire 100 to modify the intensity of the one or more illuminationsources 108 a-108 n in steps based on the difference between the amountof light in the environment of the luminaire 100 measured by the one ormore illumination sensors 130 and the setpoint amount of lightassociated with the luminaire 100. For instance, FIG. 3 illustrates agraph 250 illustrating exemplary step modifications of the intensity ofthe one or more illumination sources 108 a-108 n. As shown in FIG. 3,when the difference between the amount of light in the environment ofthe luminaire 100 measured by the one or more illumination sensors 130and the setpoint amount of light associated with the luminaire 100 iswithin a first range 252 (e.g., a difference of between 200 and 500lumens), the illumination intensity is increased (when the measuredamount of light in the environment of the luminaire 100 is less than thesetpoint amount of light associated with the luminaire 100) or decreased(when the measured amount of light in the environment of the luminaire100 is greater or more than the setpoint amount of light associated withthe luminaire 100) by a first intensity factor (e.g., increased ordecreased by 20%). When the difference between the amount of light inthe environment of the luminaire 100 measured by the one or moreillumination sensors 130 and the setpoint amount of light associatedwith the luminaire of the luminaire 100 is within a second range 354(e.g., a difference of between 100 and 200 lumens), the illuminationintensity is increased or decreased by a second intensity factor (e.g.,by increased or decreased by 10%). Similarly, when the difference iswithin a third range 256 (e.g., a difference of between 100 and 50lumens), the illumination intensity is increased or decreased by a thirdintensity factor (e.g., by increased or decreased by 5%), and when thedifference is within a fourth range 258 (e.g., a difference of between50 and 0 lumens), the illumination intensity is increased or decreasedby a fourth intensity factor (e.g., by increased or decreased by 1%).Accordingly, when the difference between the amount of light in theenvironment of the luminaire 100 measured by the one or moreillumination sensors 130 and the setpoint amount of light associatedwith the luminaire 100 is of a larger magnitude, the illuminationintensity is adjusted rapidly by larger steps, but when the differencebetween the amount of light in the environment of the luminaire 100measured by the one or more illumination sensors 130 and the setpointamount of light associated with the luminaire 100 is of a smallermagnitude, the illumination intensity is adjusted more slowly by smallersteps. Using the technique depicted in FIG. 3, advantageously, theamount of light in the environment of the luminaire 100 may be quicklyadjusted to a very precise setpoint amount of light. Furthermore,because the changes to the illumination intensity are proportional tothe difference between the measured amount of light in the environmentof the luminaire 100 and the setpoint amount of light associated withthe luminaire, the adjustment process appears to be smooth to a user oroperator working in the hazardous environment. Accordingly, users oroperators are not distracted, startled, or annoyed as the illuminationintensity is adjusted.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the sensor malfunction unit 120 may cause theluminaire 100 to detect malfunctions of an illumination sensor 130 andgenerate alarms and/or modify the operation of the luminaire 100 basedon detected malfunctions of the illumination sensor 130. In particular,the sensor malfunction unit 120 may determine that an illuminationsensor 130 is malfunctioning when measurements of the amount of light inthe environment of the luminaire 100 by the illumination sensor 130 failto change (or change very little) over an interval of time (e.g., 15minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, etc.) during which the intensity of theillumination sources 108 a-108 n has been modified by more than an alarmthreshold amount. For instance, in some examples, the interval period oftime and/or the alarm threshold amount may be pre-configured orpre-defined. Moreover, in some examples, the interval period of timeand/or the alarm threshold amount may be modified by a user or anoperator

In some examples, upon the sensor malfunction unit 120 determining thatan illumination sensor 130 is malfunctioning, the sensor malfunctionunit 120 may generate an alarm indicating that the sensor 130 ismalfunctioning. In some examples, the alarm may be transmitted to anexternal device, such as a controller or a device associated with a useror operator in the hazardous environment. In some examples, upon thesensor malfunction unit 120 determining that an illumination sensor 130is malfunctioning, the sensor malfunction unit 120 may cause the one ormore drivers 112 of the luminaire 100 to modify the intensity of the oneor more illumination sources 108 a-108 n to full intensity (e.g., 100%intensity), e.g., as a default mitigating response. Accordingly, if theillumination sensor 130 is malfunctioning by over-measuring the amountof light in the environment of the luminaire 100, users or operators inthe hazardous environment will still be provided with lighting asneeded. Of course, other mitigating responses may be defined andadditionally or alternatively performed by the luminaire 100 upondetecting the malfunction of the sensors 130. Advantageously, becausemeasurements from the on-board illumination sensor(s) 130 itself areused to determine whether the illumination sensor 130 is malfunctioning,information from external sources (e.g., other devices or sensorsconnected to the luminaire via wired or wireless connections) is notnecessary for the sensor malfunction unit 120 to detect and respond tomalfunctioning illumination sensors 130.

FIG. 4 depicts an example hazardous environment in which theself-adjusting hazardous environment lighting unit, light fixture, orluminaire of FIG. 1 may be located or disposed. For example, theself-adjusting HE luminaire 301 of FIG. 4 may be an embodiment of theself-adjusting HE luminaire 100. For ease of discussion (and not forlimitation purposes), FIG. 4 is discussed below in conjunction withreference numbers included in FIG. 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the self-adjusting luminaire 301 is a node ofa wireless network 302 of the hazardous environment 300, where thewireless network 302 includes other nodes such as other luminaires 305,308 and a wireless gateway 310 which communicatively interconnects thewireless network 302 and a wired network 312 associated with thehazardous environment 300. In some examples, each of the luminaires 301,305, 308 is a self-adjusting luminaire.

In other examples, one of the luminaires 301 is a self-adjusting primaryluminaire, while the other luminaires 305, 308 are secondary luminaires,such as those as described in Indian Patent Application No. (AttorneyDocket Number 33015/19-017), the content of which is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety. In particular, in these examples, theself-adjusting primary luminaire 301 may communicate wirelessly withother nodes of a wireless network within a hazardous environment, whilethe secondary luminaires 305, 308 communicate with the self-adjustingprimary luminaire 301 via respective wired communication interfaces. Inparticular, each wired communication interface may include both adigital component or portion and an analog component or portion so thatboth digital and analog signals may delivered over a common, integral,or single, physical transmission medium (such as a wire, a cable, etc.).The digital component may deliver administrative messages (e.g., such asalert messages, status messages, sensor data, configuration messages,and/or other types of messages that do not include any control ordriving instructions) between the self-adjusting primary luminaire 301and the secondary luminaires 305, 308, while the analog component maydeliver driving commands issued by the self-adjusting primary luminaire301 to the secondary luminaires 305, 308, e.g., including commandsindicating intensity levels at which illumination sources of thesecondary luminaires 305, 308 are to be energized. Accordingly, theself-adjusting primary luminaire 301 may send driving commands to thesecondary luminaires 305, 308 via the analog component of its wiredcommunication interface, and may send administrative messages to (andreceive administrative messages from) the secondary luminaires 305, 308via the digital component of its wired communication interface. In someexamples, self-adjusting primary luminaire 301 may have on-boardsensors, while the secondary luminaires 305, 308 may not have on-boardillumination sensors. In such examples, the self-adjusting primaryluminaire 301 may generate driving commands for modifying the intensityof both its own illumination sources and the illumination sources of thesecondary luminaires 305, 308 based on a difference between a setpointamount of light and an amount of light measured by the on-boardillumination sensors of the self-adjusting primary luminaire 301.

The wired network 312 includes a wired backbone 315 (e.g., which may beEthernet, broadband, fiber optic, or any suitable type of wiredbackbone) to which a back-end server, host, controller, computingdevice, and/or group of computing devices behaving as a single logicalserver or host 318 is communicatively connected. The host 318 may beimplemented by an individual computing device, by one or morecontrollers and/or systems associated with the hazardous environment(such as a programmable logic controller (PLC), distributed controlsystem (DCS), or other type of industrial process control system), by abank of servers, by a computing cloud, or by any suitable arrangement ofone or more computing devices. The host 318 may service nodes of thewired network 312 and/or nodes of the wireless network 302. For example,the host 318 may provide (e.g., via download or other mechanism)configuration and/or operating instructions 125 and/or data 122 (e.g.,that correspond to governing or controlling run-time lighting,diagnostic, maintenance, and/or other operations) to one or more nodesof the network(s) 302, 312, such as the self-adjusting luminaire 301,other luminaires 305, 308, and/or other nodes. Further, the host 318 mayprovide instructions and/or data that are related to ambient lightharvesting settings for the self-adjusting luminaire 301. For instance,the host 318 may provide a setpoint amount of light associated with theself-adjusting luminaire 301, a deadband range for the setpoint amountof light or a setpoint deadband threshold value, a sensitivity setting,an alarm threshold value, etc.

Wired network 312 also includes a user computing device 320 which iscommunicatively connected via the backbone 315. The server 318 and theuser computing device 320 may be disposed or located in one or moreremote or enclosed locations 322 that protect the server 318 and theuser computing device 320 from the harsh conditions of the hazardousenvironment 300. In some arrangements (not shown in FIG. 4), theprotected user computing device 320 may be communicatively connected tothe wired backbone 315 via a wireless link and access point, where theaccess point is communicatively connected in a wired manner to thebackbone 315. A user 325 may utilize the computing device 320 toconfigure, modify, and/or otherwise provide instructions and/or datautilized by and/or stored at the host 318, and/or to view data andinformation provided by other devices and/or nodes via the wired network312 and/or the wireless network 302 corresponding to the hazardousenvironment 300. For example, via the user computing device 320, theuser 325 may provide input indicating a setpoint amount of lightassociated with the self-adjusting luminaire 301, a deadband range forthe setpoint amount of light or a setpoint deadband threshold value, analarm threshold value, etc., input indicating a preferred ambient lightharvesting sensitivity setting (high, medium, low, etc.) or inputregarding other configuration instructions for the luminaire 301.

The wired network 312 and the wireless network 302 may be in compliancewith applicable hazardous environment standards and regulations. Forexample, the wireless network 302 may utilize Wi-Fi, WirelessHART,and/or one or more other communication protocols that are suitable for(e.g., is in compliance with all regulations and standards that areapplicable to) the hazardous environment 300, and devices of thenetworks 302, 312 that are located at least partially within thehazardous environment 300 (e.g., the luminaire self-adjusting 301, theother luminaires 305, 308, the wireless gateway 310, and the backbone315) may similarly comply with all applicable hazardous environmentstandards and regulations that pertain to the hazardous environment 300.

As further depicted in FIG. 4, the example hazardous environment 300includes a portable computing device 332 that is operated by a user 335within the hazardous environment 300. The portable computing device 332is compliant with hazardous environment standards and regulationsapplicable to the hazardous environment 300. For example, the portablecomputing device 332 may be configured to communicate with theself-adjusting luminaire 301, the other luminaires 305, 308, and/or withother nodes of the wireless network 302 using a WirelessHART protocol orsome other protocol that is suitable for (e.g., is in compliance withall regulations and standards that are applicable to) the hazardousenvironment 300. The portable computing device 332 may be any type ofwireless or mobile computing device, such as a laptop, tablet, smartphone, smart device, wearable computing device (e.g., virtual realitydevice, headset, or other body-borne device), etc. The portablecomputing device 332 may or may not be a node of the wireless network302.

In some embodiments, the portable computing device 332 is a server,host, controller, computing device, and/or group of computing devicesbehaving as a single logical server or host that services the nodes ofthe wireless network 302. For example, the host 332 may provide (e.g.,via download or other mechanism) configuration and/or operationalinstructions 125 and/or data 122 (e.g., that correspond to governing orcontrolling run-time lighting, diagnostic, maintenance, and/or otheroperations) to one or more nodes of the wireless network 302, such as tothe self-adjusting luminaire 301 and/or the other luminaires 305, 308.Further, the host 332 may provide instructions and/or data that arerelated to ambient light harvesting settings for the self-adjustingluminaire 301. For instance, the host 332 may provide a setpoint amountof light associated with the self-adjusting luminaire 301, a deadbandrange for the setpoint amount of light or a setpoint deadband thresholdvalue, an alarm threshold value, etc. A user 335 may utilize a userinterface of the host 332 to configure, modify, and/or otherwise provideinstructions and/or data stored at the host 332, and/or to view data andinformation provided by other devices and/or nodes via the wirelessnetwork 302 corresponding to the hazardous environment 300. For example,the user 335 may provide input indicating a setpoint amount of lightassociated with the self-adjusting luminaire 301, a deadband range forthe setpoint amount of light or a setpoint deadband threshold value, asensitivity setting for the self-adjusting luminaire 301, an alarmthreshold value, etc., or input regarding other configurationinstructions for the luminaire.

Generally speaking, a user 325, 335 may utilize one or more of the userinterface computing devices 320, 332 to provide input indicating asetpoint amount of light associated with the self-adjusting luminaire301, a deadband range for the setpoint amount of light or a setpointdeadband threshold value, a sensitivity setting for the self-adjustingluminaire 301, an alarm threshold value, etc., or to provide inputregarding other configuration instructions for the self-adjustingluminaire 301. As one example, a user 325, 335 may provide inputindicating a sensitivity level setting for the ambient light harvestingof the self-adjusting luminaire 301. In some examples, the input mayindicate that particular luminaires are to be set at differentsensitivity levels. For instance, the self-adjusting luminaire 301 maybe set to a high sensitivity level, while another luminaire 305 may beset to a low sensitivity level, and still another luminaire 308 is setto a medium sensitivity level.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an example method 500 performed by aself-adjusting hazardous environment luminaire, such as the luminaire100 depicted in FIG. 1 or the luminaire 301 depicted in FIG. 4. Forexample, the ambient light harvesting unit 115 of the luminaire 100 mayinclude instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors110, cause the self-adjusting hazardous environment luminaire 100 toperform at least a portion of the method 500. The method 500 may includeadditional, fewer, and/or alternate actions, in embodiments.

At block 502, the self-adjusting luminaire may continuously measure anamount of light within an environment associated with the self-adjustingluminaire over a first interval of time, e.g., by utilizing one or moresensors included in the self-adjusting luminaire. The amount of light inthe environment associated with the self-adjusting luminaire may includeambient light in the environment as well as light provided by one ormore illumination sources of the luminaire, and may be measured inlumens, lux, or any other suitable unit of measure.

Optionally, at block 503, the self-adjusting luminaire may average theamount of light measured in the environment associated with theself-adjusting luminaire over the first interval of time. A duration ofthe interval of time may correspond to a sensitivity setting of theluminaire, for example.

At block 504, the self-adjusting luminaire may determine a difference(which may be, e.g., a magnitude of a difference, a difference value,etc.) between the measured amount of light in the environment associatedwith the self-adjusting luminaire (or the average amount of lightmeasured in the environment associated with the self-adjusting luminaireover the first interval of time) and a setpoint amount of lightassociated with the self-adjusting luminaire. In some examples, thesetpoint amount of light associated with the luminaire may bepre-configured. In some examples, the luminaire may receive anindication of the setpoint amount of light associated with the luminaireselected by a user, e.g., via a wired interface or a wireless interfaceof the self-adjusting luminaire.

At block 506, the self-adjusting luminaire may modify the energizationof the one or more illumination sources of the self-adjusting luminairebased on the determined difference between a measured amount of light inthe environment and a setpoint amount of light, in accordance with thecontinuous measuring, e.g., over the first interval of time. In someexamples, the self-adjusting luminaire may modify the intensity of theenergization of the one or more illumination sources by multiplying thecurrent intensity of the energization by an intensity factor, where theintensity factor corresponds to a magnitude of the difference betweenthe measured amount of light in the environment and the setpoint amountof light. For instance, the intensity factor may be one of a pluralityof intensity factors, with each intensity factor corresponding to aparticular range of values of the difference between the measured amountof light in the environment and the setpoint amount of light (e.g., asdiscussed above with respect to FIG. 3). In some examples, a firstcalculated difference, falling within a first range of values for thedifference between the measured amount of light in the environment andthe setpoint amount of light, may correspond to a first intensityfactor, while a second calculated difference, smaller or less than thefirst calculated difference, and falling into a second range of valuesfor the difference between the measured amount of light in theenvironment and the setpoint amount of light (different from the firstrange of values), may correspond to a second intensity factor that issmaller or less than the first intensity factor.

That is, when the difference between the measured amount of light in theenvironment and the setpoint amount of light is of a greater magnitude,the intensity of energization is modified based on multiplying thecurrent intensity by a larger intensity factor, but when the differencebetween the measured amount of light in the environment and the setpointamount of light is of a smaller magnitude, the intensity of energizationis modified based on multiplying the current intensity by a smallerintensity factor.

Optionally, at block 508, the self-adjusting luminaire may continuouslymeasure a second amount of light within the environment associated withthe self-adjusting luminaire by the one or more sensors included in theself-adjusting luminaire over a second interval of time occurring afterthe modification has been performed.

Optionally, at block 510, the self-adjusting luminaire may generate analarm corresponding to a difference between the measured amount of lightover the first time interval and the measured amount of light over thesecond time interval. In some instances, the alarm may be generated whenthe difference between the measured amount of light over the firstinterval of time and the measured amount of light over the secondinterval of time is zero, or is otherwise below an alarm thresholdamount of light difference, thus indicating a possible malfunction ofthe on-board sensors.

In some examples, the method 500 may include modifying, over the secondinterval of time, an energization of the one or more illuminationsources of the self-adjusting luminaire based on the alarm. For example,the energization of the one or more illumination sources may be modifiedto a full intensity or 100% intensity based on the alarm. In someexamples, the method 500 may include transmitting an indication of thealarm via a wired interface or a wireless interface of theself-adjusting luminaire, e.g., to a user and/or to a back-end computingdevice.

In some examples (not shown in FIG. 5), the method 500 may furtherinclude ceasing to modify the energization of the one or moreillumination sources (or otherwise adjusting the modification) when thedifference between the measured amount of light in the environment andthe setpoint amount of light is less than a deadband setpoint thresholdvalue calculated based on the setpoint amount of light (e.g., asdiscussed above with respect to FIG. 2). For example, the deadbandsetpoint threshold value may be 5% of the setpoint amount of light, 10%of the setpoint amount of light, 15% of the setpoint amount of light,etc. Accordingly, when the difference between the measured amount oflight in the environment and the setpoint amount of light in theenvironment is less than 5% (or 10%, 15%, etc.) of the setpoint amountof light, the self-adjusting luminaire may cease modifying theenergization of the one or more illumination sources, e.g., until thedifference between the measured amount of light in the environment andthe setpoint amount of light associated with the luminaire is greater ormore than 5% (or 10%, 15%, etc.) of the setpoint amount of light, atwhich point modifying may resume.

Accordingly, embodiments of the novel and inventive self-adjustinghazardous environment lighting unit, light fixture, or luminairedisclosed herein provide significant advantages over known techniquesfor using ambient light harvesting techniques in hazardous environments.

The following additional considerations apply to the foregoingdiscussion:

A portable computing device, which may operate in conjunction withembodiments of the hazardous environment lighting unit, light lightingunit, light fixture, or luminaire disclosed herein can be any suitabledevice capable of wireless communications such as a smartphone, a tabletcomputer, a laptop computer, a wearable or body-borne device, a drone, acamera, a media-streaming dongle or another personal media device, awireless hotspot, a femtocell, or a broadband router. Further, theportable computing device and/or embodiments of the disclosed hazardousenvironment lighting unit, light fixture, or luminaire can operate as aninternet-of-things (IoT) device or an Industrial internet-of-things(IIoT) device.

Certain embodiments are described in this disclosure as including logicor a number of components or modules. Modules may be software modules(e.g., code stored on non-transitory machine-readable medium) orhardware modules. A hardware module is a tangible, non-transitory unitcapable of performing certain operations and may be configured orarranged in a certain manner. A hardware module can include dedicatedcircuitry or logic that is permanently configured (e.g., as aspecial-purpose processor, such as a field programmable gate array(FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) to performcertain operations. A hardware module may also include programmablelogic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within a general-purposeprocessor or other programmable processor) that is temporarilyconfigured by software to perform certain operations. The decision toimplement a hardware module in dedicated and permanently configuredcircuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured bysoftware) may be driven by cost and time considerations.

When implemented in software, the techniques can be provided as part ofthe operating system, a library used by multiple applications, aparticular software application, etc. The software can be executed byone or more general-purpose processors or one or more special-purposeprocessors.

Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciatestill additional alternative structural and functional designs for aself-adjusting hazardous environment lighting unit, light fixture, orluminaire. Thus, while this document illustrates and describesparticular embodiments and applications, the disclosed embodiments arenot limited to the precise construction and components disclosed.Various modifications, changes and variations, which will be apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art, may be made in the disclosedarrangement, operation and details of the method, and apparatus withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A luminaire, comprising: one or more processors;one or more illumination sources; one or more drivers; one or moreillumination sensors configured to measure amounts of light in anenvironment associated with the luminaire; and one or more memoriesstoring a set of computer-executable instructions that, when executed bythe one or more processors, cause the luminaire to: determine amodification to an intensity level of light generated by the one or moreillumination sources based on a magnitude of a difference between asetpoint amount of light and an amount of light measured by the one ormore illumination sensors; and cause the one or more drivers to modifythe first intensity level based on the determined modification.
 2. Theluminaire of claim 1, wherein the one or more drivers modify theintensity level at a first time, and the computer-executableinstructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause theluminaire further to: cause the one or more drivers to adjust themodification to the intensity level when a magnitude of the differencebetween the setpoint amount of light and an amount of lightcorresponding to the modified intensity level at a second timesubsequent to the first time is less than a threshold value, thethreshold value determined based on the setpoint amount of light.
 3. Theluminaire of claim 1, wherein the luminaire further comprises one ormore of a wired interface or a wireless interface communicativelyconnecting the luminaire to at least one of a back-end system or a userinterface, and wherein the computer-executable instructions, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, cause the luminaire further to:receive an indication of the setpoint amount of light via the one ormore of the wired interface or the wireless interface.
 4. The luminaireof claim 1, wherein the amount of light is an averaged amount of lightmeasured by the one or more illumination sensors while the one or moreillumination sources are energized to generate light at the intensitylevel over an interval of time; and wherein the difference between thesetpoint amount of light and the amount of light is a difference betweenthe setpoint amount of light and the averaged amount of light.
 5. Theluminaire of claim 4, wherein the computer-executable instructions, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, cause the one or more drivers tomodify the intensity level upon an ending of the interval of time. 6.The luminaire of claim 1, wherein: the determination of the modificationto the intensity level based on the magnitude of the difference betweenthe setpoint amount of light and the amount of light includes acalculation of the difference between the setpoint amount of light andthe amount of light; and the modification to the intensity levelincludes a multiplying of the intensity level by an intensity factor,the intensity factor corresponding to the calculated difference.
 7. Theluminaire of claim 6, wherein the intensity factor is one of a pluralityof intensity factors, and wherein each of the plurality of intensityfactors corresponds to a respective range of values of differencesbetween the setpoint amount of light and measured amounts of light. 8.The luminaire of claim 7, wherein a first calculated difference,corresponding to a first range of values, corresponds to a firstintensity factor; and wherein a second calculated difference that isless than the first calculated difference and that corresponds to asecond range of values corresponds to a second intensity factor that isless than the first intensity factor.
 9. The luminaire of claim 1,wherein the amount of light is a first amount of light, and wherein thecomputer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the luminaire further to: generate an alarm based on amagnitude of a difference between the first amount of light and a secondamount of light, the second amount of light measured by the one or moreillumination sensors while the one or more illumination sources areenergized to generate light at the modified intensity level.
 10. Theluminaire of claim 9, wherein the alarm corresponds to the magnitude ofthe difference between the first amount of light and the second amountof light being less than a threshold.
 11. The luminaire of claim 9,wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the oneor more processors, cause the luminaire further to: upon the generationof the alarm, cause the one or more drivers to energize the one or moreillumination sources to generate light at a second intensity.
 12. Theluminaire of claim 11, wherein the second intensity is 100% intensity.13. The luminaire of claim 9, wherein the luminaire further comprisesone or more of a wired interface or a wireless interface communicativelyconnecting the luminaire to at least one of a back-end system or a userinterface, and wherein the computer-executable instructions, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, cause the luminaire further to:transmit an indication of the alarm via the at least one of the wiredinterface or the wireless interface.
 14. A method performed by aself-adjusting luminaire, the method comprising: continuously measuring,by one or more sensors included in the self-adjusting luminaire over aninterval of time, an amount of light within an environment associatedwith the self-adjusting luminaire; and modifying, over the interval oftime in accordance with the continuous measuring, an energization of theone or more illumination sources of the self-adjusting luminaire basedon a magnitude of a difference between a measured amount of light in theenvironment and a setpoint amount of light.
 15. The method of claim 14,further comprising: adjusting the modifying of the energization of theone or more illumination sources when the difference between themeasured amount of light in the environment and the setpoint amount oflight is less than a threshold value, the threshold value calculatedbased on the setpoint amount of light.
 16. The method of claim 14,further comprising: receiving an indication of the setpoint amount oflight via a wired interface or a wireless interface communicativelyconnecting the self-adjusting luminaire to at least one of a back-endsystem or a user interface.
 17. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising averaging the amount of light within an environmentassociated with the self-adjusting luminaire over the interval of time;and wherein modifying, over the interval of time in accordance with thecontinuous measuring, the energization of the one or more illuminationsources of the self-adjusting luminaire based on the difference betweenthe measured amount of light in the environment and the setpoint amountof light includes modifying the energization of the of the one or moreillumination sources of the self-adjusting luminaire based on adifference between the average measured amount of light in theenvironment over the interval of time and the setpoint amount of light.18. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying, over the interval of timein accordance with the continuous measuring, the energization of the oneor more illumination sources of the self-adjusting luminaire based onthe difference between the measured amount of light in the environmentand the setpoint amount of light includes: calculating the differencebetween the setpoint amount of light and the measured amount of light inthe environment; and modifying an intensity level of the energization ofthe one or more illumination sources of the self-adjusting luminairebased on multiplying a current intensity level of the energization ofthe one or more illumination sources by an intensity factor, theintensity factor corresponding to the calculated difference.
 19. Themethod of claim 18, wherein the intensity factor is one of a pluralityof intensity factors, and wherein each of the plurality of intensityfactors corresponds to a respective range of values of differencesbetween the setpoint amount of light and measured amounts of light. 20.The method of claim 18, wherein a first calculated difference,corresponding to a first range of values, corresponds to a firstintensity factor; and wherein a second calculated difference that isless than the first calculated difference and that corresponds to asecond range of values corresponds to a second intensity factor that isless than the first intensity factor.
 21. The method of claim 14,wherein the interval of time is a first interval of time and wherein themeasured amount of light is a first measured amount of light, andwherein the method further comprises: subsequent to modifying theenergization of the one or more illumination sources, continuouslymeasuring, by the one or more sensors included in the self-adjustingluminaire over a second interval of time, a second amount of lightwithin the environment associated with the self-adjusting luminaire; andgenerating an alarm based on a magnitude of a difference between thesecond measured amount of light and the first measured amount of light.22. The method of claim 21, wherein the alarm corresponds to themagnitude of the difference between the first measured amount of lightand the second measured amount of light being less than a threshold. 23.The method of claim 21, wherein the modifying of the energization of theone or more illumination sources is a first modification, and the methodfurther comprises: upon generating the alarm, performing a secondmodification to the energization of the one or more illumination sourcesof the self-adjusting luminaire.
 24. The method of claim 23, whereinperforming the second modification to the energization of the one ormore illumination sources of the self-adjusting luminaire includesmodifying the energization of the one or more illumination sources ofthe self-adjusting luminaire to 100% intensity.
 25. The method of claim21, further comprising: transmitting an indication of the alarm via atleast one of a wired interface or a wireless interface of theself-adjusting luminaire.